A banner evening, for sure. The nation entered the night with 13 medals and left the track with a total of 19 — five gold, seven silver, seven bronze.

“It was an awesome hour,” Bartoletta said.

She started things off by unseating Reese, the defending Olympic champion, in the long jump. Moments later, Bowie won her second medal in Rio by taking bronze in the 200 meters. Not long after that, the hurdlers made history. This was the seventh medals sweep by the U.S. track team in the Olympics and the 23rd for U.S. women in the history of the Summer Games.

And yes, they realized what their fellow Americans were up to. Ali watched Bowie, her suitemate in Rio, bring home another medal as the hurdler waited to take the track.

That fired Ali up. And then her hurdles teammates did the same thing.

Gold medalist Tianna Bartoletta (left) and silver medalist Brittney Reese celebrate their two medals in the long jump on Wednesday night.Getty Images

“They smiled at me and were like, ‘It’s time. Do your part,’” Ali said. “I need to go out there and do my part. For Team USA, I knew it would be a great thing.”
How about this for an early birthday present: About an hour after the race Rollins turned 25.

“I tried to feed off all the positive energy from Team USA,” Rollins said. “We were able to come out here and fulfill our dreams. It was an amazing opportunity. I was trying to enjoy each and every moment. I’m just happy to share the moment with Kristi and Nia.”

Earlier in the day, Evan Jager earned silver in the 3,000-meter steeplechase — America’s first medal in that event since 1984. A hint of things to come.

“Every single time I saw someone on the [medal] stand, I tried not to get emotional,” Castlin said. “I was like, ‘I could get on the stand.’ It always feels good to see your teammates doing well.

“We’re from all different states and universities. It feels good to come out and do a great job.”